Factory Cars to Pro Stock in 2018 - Speculative Web Article

[Woodfin]

A new class, "Factory Back Half"

[Todd Gross]

Aside from the debate on tire size and back-half. It was brought up about Ford and Mopar cylinder head program.
I think that is partially to blame for lack of new interest in P/S.
As much as I like the DRCE and Hemi 06 engines, they do not interest the young street guy...The demographic the Pro Stock used to play too.
If there is change in Pro Stock, it would be imperative to utilize OEM engine design that the street crowd could relate to and have pride in.

[randy wilson]

Originally Posted by Mark Markow

that's peanuts for a pro operation.

I agree, but it still puts more people on the outside looking in.

[Ed Carpenter]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

This.

Seriously, I have no idea where this fixation of making someone (especially someone else, because I doubt any of us will run the class) effectively race on an ice rink comes from.

Putting 14"x32" slicks on them will only make them look more like race cars, and effectively make them back half cars. It would make them viable race cars that can be raced, instead of wrecked constantly.

However, we just saw what massive rule changes over a short period did for the class. Parity went to Hell, and so did the cost, not to mention the car count. Does anyone really think this entire rewrite of the class will work? A small tire wreck fest, which NHRA and the fans will hate, and a factoring nightmare, which NHRA will despise, not to mention handle poorly, is not the salvation of the class. It is merely replacing the class with something else, which is entirely unlikely to survive.

The cars themselves could be reigned in by giving them until 2018 to comply with a new body rule (templates, exactly like production cars, roof and quarter panels based on a body in white) and some common sense engine rules. But what can't be done, it seems, is convince Ford and Mopar to invest in a cylinder head program.

Stephen Bell current Super stocker is exactly how they should look. That car is bad azz. With so many of those out there including the current pros you could have 32 car fields. Probably 50-60 trying to get in the show.

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by JMan

Aside from the debate on tire size and back-half. It was brought up about Ford and Mopar cylinder head program.
I think that is partially to blame for lack of new interest in P/S.
As much as I like the DRCE and Hemi 06 engines, they do not interest the young street guy...The demographic the Pro Stock used to play too.
If there is change in Pro Stock, it would be imperative to utilize OEM engine design that the street crowd could relate to and have pride in.

You're not going to make that happen without the old weight break system that was killing Pro Stock 35 years or so ago. Weight breaks and factors are not going to work for Pro Stock. NHRA has neither the desire nor the ability to deal with it, and the racers will despise it. The weight break fiasco was the exact reason for the 500 cubic inches and 2350 pounds format, without which, Pro Stock would have been dead 30 years ago.

We were told how the new cars were going to bring in all this "new, young blood", and yet, it hasn't happened. You have a few guys who have the resources to buy and race the cars, and most of them were already racing. The new cars should have brought these "young street guys" people keep talking about, but they didn't. Trying to make Pro Stock into a class for the new cars won't bring the "young street guys" in, either.

The "young street guy" is never going to care about Pro Stock. Pro Stock is a hard core racers class, only hard core racers and hard core fans will ever really care about it.

For years, I worked in a shop that did work for all sorts of customers. I still, in my own business, do work for a broad range of people. I can tell you that around 95 out of 100 of today's "young car enthusiasts" do not give a damn about classes with "all those stupid rules". They care no more about Pro Stock than they do about Stock Eliminator and Super Stock, and you're not going to convert even 10% of them without wholesale changes to the classes, from Stock Eliminator on up. Changes that completely replace the character and style of the classes as they are now.

Make Pro Stock a healthy class for the hard core racer and fan, and then you can draw a small percentage in, and convert them to hard core.

NHRA started letting the bodies get out of control around 1977 when people were "drooping" the front clip. It went down hill rapidly from there, just like when NASCAR started with all the goofy body rules, instead of making the teams run a body in white. Now both NHRA Pro Stock and NASCAR cars look like blobs with no character. That's the first trend to reverse completely, in the next year or two.

Then, with some common sense rules, they can reign in some of the over the top money in the engines. Doing that might even make it possible for some of the stuff Ford and Mopar already have to be competitive. One 1350 cfm throttle body for the fuel injection system. Pull the maximum bore size back. There are several easily policed rule changes that can get the class back under control.

Make them look exactly like the current production street cars, with the exception of a reasonable scoop, and 14"x32" tires, and reign in the out of control engine insanity, then you might have a car the fans like and identify, the teams can afford to race, and the factories can support.

Otherwise, you can create a new class, call it Pro Stock, drive off most of the current shrinking support it does have, and wonder why no one else showed up. NHRA got a good start on that for 2016.

[Jeff Stout]

9 inch tire is the equalizer. Over powering the track will get a lot of aborted runs but when its race time everyone will race the track and detune enough to get down it. If some of the lower HP cars are around they may benefit with having a 9 tire racing against a over HP cars. That way you may not have to keep re factoring some cars and get the weight out of control. My under HP 10.5 racing no prep has made my middle of the pack car capable of winning as I'm throwing everything at it and hooking while others with to much HP have to de tune down to my level. Makes racing equal and closer racing. Thanks to running Super Stock for years and getting suspension science figured out.

I know a lot of you look down on no prep but the fans come and being a equalizer helps car count. I think that is the goal correct?
And the fans didn't come out yesterday to watch cars crash. If they did they were disappointed as nobody crashed and racing was very close with a lot of different model cars and different power adders.

Originally Posted by jeff teuton

the small tires make them look more like showroom cars. Also makes tuners more important as compared with brute hp. Just my 3.5cents (inflation)

x2

See how many entrees you get if you make FS/XX a 16 car field compared to a pro stock field. compete this at a few more national events with the same rules and you will have double the cars trying to qualify then you do at a pro stock race.

If you turn this into a big tire stock body pro stock class, you will get the same participation and TV audence that you have now for Pro Stock. Let pro Stock die on the vine. Its a dying class and concept. Just watching bodies with a Chevrolet sticker on it make boring passes down the track is played out.

For all the " Its to dangerous to race on a 9 tire " crowd how many crashes have we had? These cars weigh 3500 pounds and have a long wheelbase. These cars are pretty stable going down the track at 8.30's and 8.10's other than launches with the spinning and long wheelies at times the cars get down pretty regularly on National Event prepped tracks.

If this really comes true, why not run it in XX form and same rules. See how it goes from there. Let the Pro Stock guys run Pro Mod, or adapt, their show is what is dying and not popular with the fans and that's why there is a discussion for a change.

[Alan Roehrich]

Okay, at this point, this has devolved into guys, including myself, who don't race a class, not just trying to adjust rules for a class that we don't race, but either suggesting wholesale changes, wiping the class out completely and starting over, or just plain suggesting letting the class die, and screw the guys who run it. That's just bad form, and totally uncool, I'm out of this.

[Pistol Pete]

Originally Posted by Todd Hoven

See how many entrees you get if you make FS/XX a 16 car field compared to a pro stock field. compete this at a few more national events with the same rules and you will have double the cars trying to qualify then you do at a pro stock race.

If you turn this into a big tire stock body pro stock class, you will get the same participation and TV audence that you have now for Pro Stock. Let pro Stock die on the vine. Its a dying class and concept. Just watching bodies with a Chevrolet sticker on it make boring passes down the track is played out.

For all the " Its to dangerous to race on a 9 tire " crowd how many crashes have we had? These cars weigh 3500 pounds and have a long wheelbase. These cars are pretty stable going down the track at 8.30's and 8.10's other than launches with the spinning and long wheelies at times the cars get down pretty regularly on National Event prepped tracks.

If this really comes true, why not run it in XX form and same rules. See how it goes from there. Let the Pro Stock guys run Pro Mod, or adapt, their show is what is dying and not popular enough.

I agree to 16 qualified cars for FS/XX at more National Races First, and see how that goes. If it goes well, maybe have a 32 car field, but Keep It Simple !!!